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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29109018">Of Cafes and Killing Games</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/8bitAria/pseuds/8bitAria'>8bitAria</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Character Interpretation, Angst, Blood, Character Death, Despair, F/F, Headcanon, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, One Shot, Rantaro is only briefly mentioned, Tsumugi was brainwashed by Team Danganronpa, and I will die on this hill, kaemugi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:40:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>814</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29109018</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/8bitAria/pseuds/8bitAria</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This wasn't supposed to go like this. She wasn't supposed to make friends with these people. She wasn't supposed to develop feelings for them.</p>
<p>But sometimes, despair can have a mind of its own</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akamatsu Kaede &amp; Shirogane Tsumugi, Akamatsu Kaede/Shirogane Tsumugi, Amami Rantaro &amp; Shirogane Tsumugi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Of Cafes and Killing Games</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Brainwashed!Tsumugi is one of my biggest DRV3 headcanons, so I wanted to write something for it. I'll probably write some more general fic for it at some point, but I wanted to give this ship some love first because I love these two.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>12-year-old Tsumugi Shirogane sat staring wide-eyed at the TV screen in front of her. </p>
<p>The scenes that she saw on this show each passing day fascinated her. The blood. The tears. The drama. The <i>despair</i>. She fell in love with the characters as if they were her friends, cosplaying them any chance she got. Someday, she vowed, she'd get to work on the show. A writer, perhaps. It was her biggest dream. A way to give thanks to the escapism she got day after day, year after year.</p>
<p>A way to fall into the deepest despair she'd ever know.</p>
<p>.<br/>.<br/>.</p>
<p>18-year-old Tsumugi Shirogane stared in horror at the images Team Danganronpa was placing in front of her.</p>
<p><i>It was real</i>. All of it. The deaths and torture and mind games. They weren't actors, this wasn't a game. The tragedies these people went through had all actually happened. All for the audience's sick amusement. And she'd eaten it all right up. She didn't want any part of this anymore. She made her way towards the door, stumbling. <i>She had to get out, she had to get out, she had-</i></p>
<p>Hands reached out, holding her back, pushing her into a chair. It was too late. Another screen clicked on in front of her-</p>
<p>
  <i>So the despair anime was real too</i>
</p>
<p>.<br/>.<br/>.</p>
<p>The shell of Tsumugi Shirogane stepped into the Ultimate Academy she’d created, suppressing a smirk. </p>
<p>It was finally time to set her dream into motion. A new killing game, and it was all in her hands. She turned the corner and came face to face with the bubbly girl who was introducing herself to everyone. Kaede Akamatsu. Her Ultimate Pianist.</p>
<p>
  <i>Oh my gosh she was gorgeous</i>
</p>
<p>What? No. No, she couldn’t be thinking like this. She had a game to plan. These people were going to die because of her. They were going to murder. Investigate. Plead. They were going to feel despair like they’d never known before. Experience things far beyond the scope of what they signed up for. </p>
<p>She couldn’t wait to watch it all burn. </p>
<p>.<br/>.<br/>.</p>
<p>Against her better judgement, Tsumugi began spending more time with that girl. Kaede was so determined to leave, and it fascinated her. How could someone have so much determination? So much faith in the people around her? So much <i>hope?</i></p>
<p>Is this what it was like to be normal? Kaede got her to talk, and they could go on about their interests forever. They painted each other's nails, and Tsumugi could barely focus over the pounding of her heart. </p>
<p>
  <i>Is this what it was like to have a crush?</i>
</p>
<p>There was something that just pulled her in, even when everything inside her screamed to stay away. To not get attached. It was all going to come crashing down in the end anyway. They made plans for when they escaped, to read together, to bake, to go to a cafe. Promises she’d never be able to keep. It would have been so much easier to just stay away. It would have caused her so much less despair.</p>
<p>All the more reason that she kept coming back.</p>
<p>.<br/>.<br/>.</p>
<p>The shot put ball weighed heavily in her hand as another dropped to the ground in front of him. Rantaro Amami. The one who’d done this all before. The Ultimate Survivor.</p>
<p>
  <i>How ironic.</i>
</p>
<p>The ball quickly left her grasp. A crack, and he fell to the floor in an instant. His blood stained the floor of the library as the light slowly left his eyes. The motive broadcast came to a screeching halt. Rantaro Amami was dead.</p>
<p>She recoiled. <i>How could she have done this?</i> She’d just taken a life, made even worse by the fact that he was trying to save everyone. This was all her fault, she did this-</p>
<p>
  <i>Kaede did this.</i>
</p>
<p>Nobody else knew that Kaede’s original plan had fallen through. Nobody else knew about the secret entrance. All she had to do was play along</p>
<p>The trial went off without a hitch.</p>
<p>.<br/>.<br/>.</p>
<p>Tsumugi stared blankly ahead of her, watching the school crumble. They’d figured it out. All of it. She should have known. They’d always done it before. She thought they would have fallen into despair long before then, and not have the will to see it to the end.</p>
<p>Guess they were all much stronger than her.</p>
<p>But she wanted this, right? She didn’t want to live in a world without Danganronpa. If she couldn’t have this, she might as well die. She didn’t care anymore. Without this show, she’d have nothing. Without this show, she’d have nothing.</p>
<p>
  <i>Without this show, maybe she’d be at a cafe with a pretty girl.</i>
</p>
<p>The debris was falling faster now. She didn’t have much time left. This was it. Maybe the others could make it out. <i>Hopefully the others could make it out.</i></p>
<p>The rock came crashing down. She died on impact.</p>
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